Internet protocol (IP) networks and other types of networks can be used to carry data for different types of calls. Various types of calls include voice and video communications and conferencing, and streaming services including audio and video streaming. Audio and video data are typically encoded for transmission via these networks by one or more codecs along the way. A codec may be hardware of software used to encode and decode data, such as audio and/or video data in a signal. A media gateway/media gateway controller and/or a session border controller, located along a network path between the two endpoints, perform different types of services for the transmission of calls, including transcoding, transrating, and encryption. Often, one or both endpoints will have the option of using one of several different possible codecs with any particular kind of data.
The impact on the internal resources available to the network component varies, depending upon the codec(s) used. Depending upon which codecs are used, transcoding or other services may be necessary at the network component. As the volume of media traffic carried by communications networks continues to increase, the need for network components to provide ever greater capability to handle media traffic in a manner that more efficiently uses resources internal to network components increases as well.